Reston, Va. – "The White House has the biggest spotlight in the world, so the fact that President Trump is shining it on the urgent need for postal reform is a good thing,” says Association for Print Technologies Vice President, Government Affairs, Mark J. Nuzzaco. “The Presidential Task Force on the United States Postal Service (Task Force) has the potential to overcome the lack of Congressional momentum that has stalled postal reform for over a year in this current Congress, and for over a decade since the Postal Services’ business model was disrupted after the last round of postal legislation in 2006 (Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006).”

According to Nuzzaco, “the Executive Order (Order) that created the Task Force correctly identifies the steep decline in First Class mail volume and legal mandates that impose substantial and inflexible costs as key factors that have led to structural deficits too big for the Postal Service to manage its way out of its current business model.” And, he adds that, “the Order also sets the proper policy objective of having the Postal Service operate under a sustainable business model to provide necessary mail service to citizens and businesses, and to prevent a taxpayer-funded bailout.”

The Task Force is to be chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury or his designee and include the directors of the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Personnel Management, and other department and agency heads the Chair may designate. The Order requires the Task Force to consult with the Postmaster General and the Postal Regulatory Commission, and to engage the Attorney General, Secretary of Labor and state, local and tribal officials as determined by the Chair.

The Order directs the Task Force to report its findings and recommendations for administrative and legislative reforms to the President in not more than 120 days from its creation on April 12, 2018. Nuzzaco observed that this schedule leaves time for Congress to act on the Task Force’s recommendations this year and added that it is imperative that it do so to avoid the substantial damage to the system and economy that will result from a failed Postal Service. “The evolving digital economy, combined with new patterns of social and commercial communication, demand a new paradigm for the Postal Service,” says Nuzzaco. “This isn’t to prop up an antiquated system or product, but rather to provide affordable mail for when it is the best option.”

Concluding, Nuzzaco stated, “there really isn’t any mystery here. The challenges faced by the Postal Service, which have been well studied by Congress, are in many respects addressed in pending legislation. These measures have earned support from a broad spectrum of mailing industry stakeholders, so we would hope that the Task Force will draw heavily on that knowledge base and consensus in formulating its recommendations.”

For more information contact Association for Print Technologies Vice President, Government Affairs, Mark J. Nuzzaco at phone: 703/264-7235 or e-mail: [email protected].